The Woman Warrior
by meepers369
Summary: AU. Being a woman warrior is not easy in a time dominated by men. A retelling of Mulan. Nejiten
1. Prologue

**Title: **The Woman Warrior; Prologue

**Author: **meepers369

* * *

I wasn't always born a warrior.

When Mother was still alive, she made sure my education followed that of other girls in the Chinese aristocracy. I learned to dance a little, sing a little, learned to read moral scriptures, and write some basic vocabulary, all under Mother's careful eye. The weapon arsenal Father proudly displayed in the front hall of the house fascinated me, but I knew it was something that I would never touch.

When I was seven, northern horsemen raided my village. Mother bravely stood up to the raiders as they jeered, laughed, lusted over her beauty. The leader of the barbarians tried to take her to bed, promising our family and house to be spared, but she steadfastly refused. He sliced her down in a fit of anger. Our intricate halls of wood burned easily, as did other wooden structures of the villagers. All our servant girls were taken away, screaming.

I was spared by the quick thinking of my nursemaid. She threw me into the small cellar with other village children, solemnly telling me, as a noble privileged with education, I had the responsibility for all the children here. She then shut the top, concealing the top with straw and dirt, and drew the barbarians away from our hiding spot. We heard them stomping overhead, searching, but never found us. I held the little ones, soothed the older ones, and waited until all was quiet before leading everyone out.

Father was quickly called back from the battlefield, but of course it was too late. He never showed any emotion except a stone-cold front, whether it was at seeing the charred remains of our courtyard, or during the funeral of his loyal wife. Immediately after, he took up his arms to hunt down the riders who had wreaked havoc upon our village.

Three weeks later, numerous arrows and a slice to his chest brought him home again, near death. He never fully recovered, forever requiring a walking-stick to get around. He began to take notice of me, the only reminder of the tragedy he wasn't there to prevent.

I was the last remnant of his wife. I was also the closest thing to the son he never had. And so he trained me as a boy. I continued my education of reading and writing, but in addition, I also learned to ride and to fight. Father could not ride, thus delegating that lesson to others, but he personally oversaw my martial arts development, practicing the basic moves with me to strengthen his own weakened body, grimacing when he could not duplicate moves that had been easy for him only weeks earlier.

When he began teaching me weaponry, I felt alive in ways never before. I was older then, and knew to be afraid for a moment when Father's body would give up, slip, and hurt himself with the complex weapon dance he was showing me. Somehow, he never did, and seemed almost more agile, more fluid with a weapon in his hands than he did without. He passed that fluidity on to me, and I learned to dance with the weapons, too. Staffs twirled easily in my hands, spears bent with my body in a yielding arch, swords sung with each stroke I carved in the air.

By my thirteenth birthday, I had mastered all the weapons in Father's arsenal. He led me to a hidden ancestral hall deep in the mountains, where numerous ancestral tablets sat upon the giant stone wall. There, in a darkness lit only by a single candle, he imparted stories of my ancestors, of their valor during times of war, of their justice during times of peace. Afterwards, I carried the feelings and emotions of my ancestor's ghosts in my body, my spirit, and my weaponry.

Sometime after that, though, Father stopped endorsing my training. He grew moody, insisting that I wear dresses again, that I take more care for my appearance, and hired more servant girls to wait on me. I was greatly irritated by his treatment, and we had many shouting matches where I would run away to the mountains where the ancestral hall was, only to sullenly return, shamed by my ghosts. We would stop talking for days on end; at times, he would even blatantly ignore me, staying in his quarters, speaking only to the servant girls. I would train furiously by myself, focusing my annoyance into my weapons.

I hardly ventured into the village by then. My old playmates treated me with reverent cordiality. The girls were quietly disapproving but envious of my training; the boys were slightly scoffing but secretly awed by my power. The adults were very open with displeasure, not knowing how to treat this aristocratic girl who dressed and walked like a man. My family's past deeds mattered little now. Only those who remembered treated me with kindness, remembering my mother, sympathetic to my father.

One rare day when I accompanied my servants to the market, an elder selling mottled tea leaves stared at me steadily for a long while. When I thanked her for the transaction, she smiled and said softly, "You look just your mother in her younger years." She patted my hand, giving me my change, and I refused it, tears in my eyes.

After that, I started voluntarily wearing feminine dress. I still trained, usually early in the morning or later in the evening, but I started occupying my days with weaving, painting, and other such activities. It was a long cry from my usual workouts, but I found a certain peace in it that I never felt before. I stopped fighting with Father, too, but he still avoided me as much as possible. Every time he saw me, there were suspicious traces of tears in his eyes.

When I was sixteen, war came. The same northern raiders who had attacked our village years earlier now returned to China, more organized, more powerful, and more ruthless then before. Conscription notices flew out from the capital to each town and state, until it reached our little village. The emperor demanded one man from every family. Father was called for, but how could he serve? Those days, he was often confined to bed, his unyielding wounds constantly troubling his body.

And so, I took up my men's garb again, this time adding layers of my father's armor. At our separation, I kneeled deeply before him, leaving an oath to honor, to survive, and to return. Father stood before me, accepting my vows with a grave nod. He motioned to a servant girl who strode up, carrying a beautifully carved box of pine. In it, Father drew out a pair of twin swords, beautifully forged from steel.

"These are yours now." I held the swords reverently in my hand. After a quick glance for Father's approval, I began simple sword exercises with them, testing their weight, learning their rhythm. They were wonderfully fluid and light; every stroke sang with a clear metallic note. Father watched me in silent approval. I walked backed to him, kneeling again in gratitude.

"Now that you are taking upon a new identity, it is time to shed your old name. From now on, carry the name of the heavens—Tian. Let that be a reminder for what you are fighting for." Father paused, as if struggling with something inside himself. He gave a long sigh, then gripped me tightly on my shoulders.

"Make sure to return."


	2. Gai

"Name?"

"Tian."

Iruka looked up quizzically. "No surname?" The boy flushed.

"I have none."

"Hometown?"

"Also none. I'm an orphan. No one to call family, and no one to call home." The boy said this defiantly, chin pushed upwards, as if challenging Iruka to contest this. Iruka smiled reassuringly.

Gai noted with interest that this self-proclaimed orphan had a very aristocratic manner of speaking. He could recognize that hard, authoritative voice well enough now, having served under and worked with numerous of those types. He also noted the finely crafted double sword handles peaking out of the boy's belt, decorated with some intricate symbol on top. Yet this boy had an honest enough face. Gai smiled at the youth. Surely it must be some terrible circumstances that caused this boy to lie about his identity! There were many of such that had registered for the life of the military, using it as a convenient excuse to escape whatever it was they were hiding from.

Gai glanced at Kakashi, wondering if his youthful rival had noticed this particularity. To his surprise, instead of his usual bored, disinterest look at anything other than his latest disgraceful book, Kakashi was staring intently at the boy, so much that it seemed almost_…hostile._ It wasn't unfriendly, merely an apprehensive type of dislike.

"As an orphan, you'll be in the mass tents with the regular foot soldiers. This is unlike those of noble families, who have the option of living in smaller, more private tents, and have the right of protection for their more...valuable possessions." Kakashi stated this blandly, staring directly at the boy.

So Kakashi had noticed after all. Gai turned to look at him openly now, again surprised by Kakashi's interest. The boy looked a little taken back.

"I never claimed to be anything else," the youth responded. Kakashi cocked his visible eyebrow, as if saying, _oh really_? He shifted his glance to the boy's sword handles.

"Yours?"

The boy stiffened. "Of course!"

"Mighty fine for someone who claims to have no family and no home," Kakashi drawled.

"Will you assign me my tent now?" The boy stared back at Kakashi defiantly. Kakashi continued to stare blandly back. The tension of disapproval on both sides was clear.

"Kakashi!" exclaimed Gai. "I cannot believe that you are already showing doubt in such a promising boy with such burning enthusiasm to be a hard-working member of our family! Iruka, please put Tian in my camp. His youthful passion is simply inspiring!" Kakashi looked highly irritated by this outburst.

"It's not too late for you to leave, you know," Kakashi drawled. "If you stay here, you'll be stuck with this lunatic for months on end." The boy looked a little hesitant during Gai's speech, but seemed to clear his head after Kakashi's jibe.

"I'll stay. Thank you, sir…?"

"I am Gai! I look forward to working with your youthful enthusiasm!"

…

Gai returned to his camp after watching a few more new arrivals register. Kakashi likewise left with him, having been chided into going by Gai in the first place. Gai had counted fifty promising young soldiers, while Kakashi merely yawned and said there _might_ be five who were interesting.

On returning, Gai was immediately greeted by an enthusiastic Lee. "Gai-shifu! I am thrilled to see that we have so many more members to our family after today! I cannot wait to train with everyone tomorrow!"

Gai smiled brightly at his young pupil. He was supposed to be impartial to all in his company, but this child was slowly growing to be his favorite among all in his barrack, despite the boy's lack of an obvious talent. Normally Gai would engage in more conversation with Lee to catch up on his doings, but today he couldn't concentrate. From the corner of his mind, Gai found himself unexpectedly looking for that new boy, Tian. There was something else _off_ about the self-proclaimed orphan that had nothing to do with his obvious aristocracy. To his surprise and amusement, Gai spotted Tian nestled in the top branches of a tree at the edge of the camp, watching everyone warily.

"Lee!"

"Yes, Gai-shifu?"

"I am going to move you to a tent with the newcomers! I trust you can handle it?"

Lee got very silent. Gai was _almost_ worried that this may order might not be taken well, but was happily treated to Lee's burning youth. Bless this child, he never failed.

"YOSH! I am honored that Gai-shifu would impart me this responsibility! I will show the newcomers the same welcome that you have shown me!"

Gai grinned. "I expect nothing less, or it's a hundred laps around the camp for you, my boy!"

…

Unsurprisingly, the boy, Tian, learned the rituals of the military quickly, showing both practical and theoretical knowledge of warfare, despite apparently never having been in the camps before. Surprisingly, Tian was phenomenal in marksmanship. Gai and the rest of the military camp watched in awe as the youth let arrow after arrow fly into the heart of its target. He also showed dexterity with staff, spear, and of course, sword. A decidedly very expensive, _aristocratic_ forms of weaponry. The only thing he was relatively weak in was empty hand; even so, the boy had enough agility to run away from the largest targets and confuse them by using his small stature.

Kakashi was also watching the practices. If Tian noticed, he showed no signs, never once changing his composure. After a while, Kakashi left without saying anything. Gai wondered what his youthful rival was thinking. Probably envious that he had lost this chance to have this boy in HIS division!

Lee, he could tell, was greatly impassioned by Tian's abilities. A true orphan, Lee never learned any weaponry, but excelled at barehanded forms. Lee must have certainly seen this opportunity to further his weaker abilities! To his pleasure, Gai saw Lee drawing Tian into conversation, and chattered almost nonstop with his new friend. Tian looked overwhelmed, but was patient in listening and dealing with it. Gai smiled brightly at a passerby, nearly blinding the poor man. Things were going very well!

The afternoon brought yet another delight. "The Hyuuga family sent one of their branch members here," Asuma was grinning wildly at the news. "No one from their precious main branch, of course. Rumor has it that this one is quite a bit of trouble, with the tendency to rebel, so they were very happy to send him here!"

Kakashi looked thoughtful at this news. "You should take him, Gai."

"What?" Everyone looked incredulously at Kakashi.

"He'll be a good challenge. To your Lee. He will be the perfect rival to fire up your Lee's passion." Gai looked absolutely struck by this idea.

"YOSH! EXCELLENT IDEA! I will see to it immediately!" Gai proclaimed, dashing away.

"Excellent. Now the boy won't be any of our problem," sighed Kakashi. Asuma laughed approvingly.

…

**Notes**: I decided to use Chinese conventions instead of Japanese ones, like shifu instead of sensei, since this is supposed to be in China. Can't do much about the names, though, since they're already Japanese.

Incidentally, could anyone tell me the rankings of military officers in China? I'm kind of making them up as I go along…officer-captain-general-commander.


	3. Fear

**The Woman Warrior**

**Ch. 2: Fear**

by: meepers369

The fear of my body betraying my secret accompanied me during my entire journey. Though we would be still far from combat, I was deathly afraid of being injured and forced to reveal my secret. I would volunteer to be a scout, to be on the foraging party, to be a messenger, all useful excuses to be far from others and conceal my body in solitude. When the monthlies came, I had to be even more discreet. I would request solo missions, and on those nights I would curl up under a blanket of stars, sorely missing the warmth and comfort of the massive shared tents.

Several times, I came close to being discovered. Throughout my journey, a few people did come to know my secret. It was harrowing each time my body was discovered, but these people came to be my confidants, soothing a long and torturous road.

…

The first was accidental.

When at camp, I found myself in the company of the exuberant Lee, who was a wonderful, if not an overly excitable and exasperating friend. His antics made me laugh, but I would just as often have to drag him out of some new trouble he invented for himself. Once, he accidently set all the horses free. Another time, he spilled our entire supply of rice. The whole camp would rage after him in these moments of clumsiness, and in the end, I would be his only help in tidying up his messes.

Unfortunately, our closeness also led to the first case of my discovery. One hot, sticky summer night the camp marched wearily to stop by a stream, upon which the entire camp gratefully and promptly marched into to cool themselves down. I refrained, of course, choosing to settle in the cool shade of a large tree. Lee goaded everyone into a waterfight, and chaos ensued. I watched enviously, but fearful of my secret being revealed, chose to silently set up camp instead.

At night, when everyone bar a few sleepy guards were awake, I slipped off a distance away, desperate to receive some of the relief that the stream gave. (I also hadn't bathed in weeks.) The water was blissfully cool, and I congratulated myself on escaping far enough from the camp to have some moments to myself when I heard rustling from the bushes.

I reached for my weapons. When Lee popped out of the bushes, I realized my mistake in not reaching for my clothes instead.

"SURPRISE!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, clearly about to jump into the stream and begin a round of splashing. Instead, he gaped. "Buh…buh...buh...BREASTS?!" He began opening and closing his mouth like a dead fish, pointing at my chest, and I decided grabbing my weapons was a good idea after all. I knocked him out with a dull thud to his head.

When Lee finally came to, I had my clothes on and a weapon to his neck. "Why did you follow me," I hissed.

"You weren't at the water fight today!" he exclaimed. "I could not let my dear friend miss the youthful excitement we had! Later I found out you were the first to be setting up the camp! So when I saw you sneaking off to the stream I knew you must have been terribly upset for being ignored! So I followed you so that you would have someone splash water at you! Splashing water at yourself is not much fun, after all." Here Lee began to turn an odd shade of red. "But uh...I guess...water splashing wasn't what you had in mind."

I gave him my fiercest glare. "You tell anyone - ANYONE - and I'll use you as target practice. Understand? NO ONE else knows about this." Lee nodded vigorously, and looked suspiciously close to tears. I sighed, letting my swordpoint leave his throat. "I'm sorry I hit you."

Lee actually burst into tears. "Oh my dear, dear Tian! I will not tell anyone of your unfortunate circumstance! How hard it must have been for you to be without a confidant, to whom you can share all your secrets! How terrible it must have been to have to hide your blossoming beauty! And among all these terrible men! I will keep you safe, be your soulful, loyal, secret-keeper, I promise!"

It wasn't what I had wanted, but afterwards it did feel better to have one person know my secret.

…

The second was beyond my control.

It was only the third month of my time with the camp, but I was asked to join a highly selective party of soldiers on a special mission. At least according to Gai, my numerous successes in my solo missions and scouting parties had brought me to the attention of all the captains in the camp. I warily joined Kakashi, the only high-ranking captain on the mission, along with several other foot soldiers that I did not recognize to fetch Shikamaru, the stratagems master that had mysteriously disappeared when the call for war came.

"It's not THAT much of a mystery," grumbled Kiba, an awfully loud boy accompanied by his faithful dog everywhere he went. "He saw war coming, and probably thought avoiding war was less troublesome than helping in it! Lazy ass, he was the same way in school."

Kakashi smiled. "Well, let's see what Lady Ino says first. If she doesn't know where he is, then your Akamaru can track him."

Lady Ino, I gathered, was the famously beautiful wife of Shikamaru. She was also famously welcoming to any handsome man in her bedchambers. She was known to take anyone to bed, even enemy statesmen. She had no single lover, but she did have some favorites. (Kakashi was apparently one.) She also had absolute power over Lord Shikamaru. He was known to submit to almost every single one of her demands. At the very least, he overlooked the hoards of men she welcomed to her bedroom. (Possibly as a result, he was hardly home.) As some of the others in our small group murmured of Lady Ino's beauty and infidelity, I couldn't help but note that the men in our current company were all quite good-looking, including Neji, a boy my age who joined our company the same week as I did. I would catch myself watching his profile as he walked silently, aloof from the conversation. (I couldn't help but wonder what this said about me, a girl hiding in men's clothes. Did this mean I was an attractive man? The thought horrified me.)

When we arrived at the Nara estate, a feast was waiting us. Our travel-weary group wasted no time in stuffing our faces. Throughout the meal, Kakashi chatted merrily with Lady Ino. At the end, he said something that sent our jaws dropping.

"What do you think of the boys I brought you today?" asked Kakashi to Ino, with a grin. "Any one of them suit your fancy? Or shall I suffice tonight?"

Lady Ino was truly a beauty, the dream of all men. I could almost feel the lust in the female-starved soldiers elevate to a tangible level. She looked each one of us over with her bright blue eyes, with a dangerously seductive smile. To my horror, she stood up and wrapped an arm around mine. "I want this one, Kakashi! Can I have him for the night?" I tried to protest, but she slid away with a laugh. "I must go prepare tonight, but I except you in my chambers, Tian!"

"Before you say anything - no, you cannot refuse." Kakashi smirked at my dismay. "You realize she is the fastest hope for getting Shikamaru to join us? We need you to get that promise from her, soldier." I nodded glumly, feeling the heat of everyone's envy turned on me. Kakashi merely looked bemused. Somehow, I got the sense that he planned this.

I had only began to consider my chances with deserting the mission when one of Lady Ino's maidservants captured me, and led me to her room.

Lady Ino welcomed me into her chambers, smiling coyly. "Come closer, I want to see you properly," she purred. I must have showed my embarrassment, because she laughed gleefully. "A shy one! How adorable, you're turning such a funny color. Calm down, I just want to talk to you…for now." She beckoned me to her bed. I followed slowly, feeling each step grow heavy with fear. I had to keep up my charade, somehow, but how could I without offending this dangerous little wife of Shikamaru, who was supposed to hold immense sway over the missing tactical genius? I had to some how please her, and convince her to make Shikamaru come with us. Her invitation to her bedchamber, however, suggested only one way to please her-a way that I could not manage.

We reached her bed. She sat upon it, smiling at me seductively. It made me feel sick. "Ah…Lady Ino, forgive me, but I had only come to discuss the issue of your husband's whereabouts..." Ino waved away my attempts to speak. Instead, she patted a spot on the bed next to her.

"My dear Tian, I know why you have come. Trust me, I just want to talk." The way she said it was sugary sweet, like that of a siren. It was tingled with amusement, but showing a definite trace of impatience. Yet beneath the layers of expression, I heard a tone of…sympathy? I had kept my head down the entire time, trying not to make eye contact with this powerful lady, but now I looked at her directly. Her lips were in an impatient pout, but her eyes showed compassion. Understanding, almost.

"Sit down," she directed. "I just want to talk."

I surrendered, sitting gently on her bed's covers. They were as brilliantly colored and as animated as she was, decorated in a rich floral pattern. As soon as I sank down, Lady Ino nodded to her attendants, who left the room and shut the doors firmly. A quiet descended in the room. I braced myself for Lady Ino's seduction efforts. They would be in vain, but I had to somehow respond to them.

To my surprise, Lady Ino made no further movements, just watched me intently with a curious side-tilt to her head. I didn't have anything to say, either. From the moment the servants closed the door, I knew I had little chance of keeping my secret. As I traced the floral patterns on the bed with my eyes, I realized that while Shikamaru was heralded as the tactical genius, his seemingly frivolous wife was a master at human manipulation. I inwardly cursed my ineptitude at escaping this fate, but quickly discarded the useless thought. Instead, tried very hard to school my features to be free of fear, and ran through the possible options for me. There were miserably few.

"So how does it feel to be the only girl among an army of men?" she asked softly. I stared at her, astonished. She smiled slightly. "It's okay, you can talk freely in here. From my bed, anyone trying to listen from the doors or the windows would be unable to hear anything."

"Oh." I must have sounded suspicious. She smiled wickedly at me.

"It's convenient. No one would question the presence of Shikamaru in my bedchamber, after all. Nor do they question the litany of men who like to visit me here. Let's just say, it would be natural for them to talk in this chamber. And if the talks are highly important government secrets and military stratagems, well, no one has to know, right?"

So this is how Shikamaru orchestrated and passed on his mastermind strategies. My mind was reeling. Lady Ino smiled. "You can relax here tonight. Your secret is safe with me."

"How did you know?" I whispered.

"I've been told I can read the minds of people," Lady Ino responded mysteriously. "It's apparently a family trait." Ino proceeded to reveal a hidden bedchamber next to her dresser, with a small cot nicely made. "You can sleep here tonight." She smiled gleefully at my astonished face. "It's perfectly safe, Kakashi and others sleep there every time they come!"

When I woke the next morning, Lady Ino was already up, in the middle of her apparently very long make-up and dressing procedures. She spoke to me while her attendants bustled around her. Her voice was back to sugarly sweet seduction, but her words were full of meaning. "You're welcome to come here every night while you're here." For that week, except for the last night when she took Kakashi instead of me, I slept soundly like never before. At night, we would chat sometimes, but she would never push me to reveal my background, instead telling me interesting tidbits about the men in my camp, useful information about their personalities.

Once, I dared to asked about Shikamaru. Her face contorted almost unperceptively into great sadness, but she immediately hid it behind a scowl and an impatient shake of her head. "That lazy bum! He'll come around soon enough. You needn't worry about it." I learned then of her childhood, of Shika-Ino-Cho, the three who always played together. "Chouji runs the supplies for you guys. He makes sure no one goes hungry," Ino grinned. "Our papas were great friends, so we were always playing together. And Asuma used to be our tutor." I gaped. Asuma, the large brawny man. Tutoring what? "Fighting, actually. The boys were taking lessons from him, and I threw a fit when I was told that it was unladylike to learn, so he taught me, too." She scowled. "That Shikamaru...always running off even back then. I was a more dedicated student than him!" She trailed off, her face in a rare moment, unschooled by her usual calculations, a mixture of longing and sadness.

My heart went out to her. I wondered if she knew those rumors that whispered of her easiness and her infidelity. (Of course she did. She probably started them.) I certainly wasn't free to be me, a woman hidden in a man's camp. But in many ways, Ino was less free than me. She was bound by her duties to her country to maintain an image of debauchery, unable to show her true emotions for her the one she loved.

…

The third was by choice.

Following a fascinating tip from Lady Ino, I went to the medic tent who took care of Kakashi's division. (She had said: If you're ever injured, visit the medic Haruno. Haruno is in exactly the same situation as you. We used to be...childhood rivals, until Haruno chose the harder path of medicine.) Inside, I found a pair of stunning green eyes on a face that I knew immediately to belong to a woman.

She took one look at me, and immediately rose to close the flap of the tent. "You're a girl," she stated flatly. "Why are you here?"

I shrugged. "Probably a similar reason to you. But I'm specifically in your tent because Lady Ino told me to." At this, Haruno's sharp eyes softened. Outwardly, she scoffed.

"That pig. What game is she cooking up now?"

Afterwards, I would go to Haruno to tend my injuries, and no longer lived in fear that I would be discovered that way. She, in turn, confided in me, and we forged a friendship bonded by secrets.

…

There was one person who I wanted so badly to reveal my secret to, but never did.

Neji was cold as the ice his eyes seemed to derive their color from. At first, he spoke little no one, even when Gai addressed him. He was meticulous and methodological in everything he did, and took great care of his appearance. He also excelled at everything - from barehand forms to weaponry to tactics - clearly a product of his education. I admired him at first only from afar. Others quickly dismissed him for being too cocky, too arrogant of his abilities, but I sympathized with his situation. It was much like my own time in my village, when the other kids and adults would keep distance from me as a result of jealousy and apprehension. Such a hard exterior could only be a product of strong inner turmoil, and from my experience, a rough childhood.

His cool composure would only be broken by Lee's wild antics. I don't think Neji had ever met anyone like Lee before. (Though, how could anyone else be like Lee?) Instead of being intimidated and cowed by Neji's automatic glares, Lee became more fired up in his presence. When Neji was haughty and dismissive of Lee's feeble attempts at fighting him, Lee only trained more to work up to the next challenge. With my usual presence around Lee, somehow we three fell into a dysfunctional sort of family. I watched out for Lee's back during his insane stunts, I provided sparring practice for Neji, and Neji goaded Lee when he was weakened into a new strength.

Over time, I fell in love with Neji's strength, his intelligence, his softening heart. It helped that he was quite handsome. At first, I ignored them, thinking the feelings to be a short crush that would subside after a while. But with each day, they came stronger with each new discovery of his gentleness that he tried so hard to hide. I cursed these feelings that came unbidden in the middle of the night. Several dreams involved my dramatic reveal and his astonished appreciation for me, as a female warrior.

The thoughts were complete nonsense. If he knew my true identity, he would more likely look down upon me, like the other villagers did, for being a woman playing men's games. So I would lay quietly at night, planning ahead the days with how to hide my secret.


	4. Interlude

"Well, well, my lovely Lady Ino. I was wondering if you'd ever grace me with your attention, especially after all those nights spent otherwise. You've certainly spent a lot of time with that little _Tiantian._"

Ino raised an eyebrow at Kakashi. "That sounded almost bitter."

"Maybe. I could be jealous that you're not spending your usual nights of infidelity with _me_."

Ino scowled at him. "It's good for my image," she retorted, "To mingle with _other men_. Not the same ones every time."

"Yes, of course. Other men."

Ino detected a definite crinkle of amusement. "You know about Tian."

"Depends on what I'm supposed to not know. I have certain suspicions."

"And they are?"

"That a certain young soldier is not who he appears to be. And that Gai is a fool for not noticing yet, and a further fool to bring him with our contingency, which is sure to attract attention. Though the Gai being a fool part is not new."

"And do other people have the same suspicions?"

"Well, let's just say my unfortunate loss of one eye has granted me powers of observation other people do not. So the little secret is safe. Probably. The soldier is very good. You can be assured that no one will notice, unless they knew what they were looking for."

"And you? How did you know what to look for?"

"I knew the mother."

Ino thought about this as Kakashi sipped his tea. She casually refilled his cup, then positioned herself to look away shyly. To any faraway observer, it looked like she was confiding in a silly girlish secret to her lover.

"You know, Sir Kakashi, that my spy network extends a fair amount into your army. Shikamaru finds it convenient to be updated on the quality and the potential of the soldiers he must command and direct into battle. The emperor, too, finds these reports highly informative." Kakashi leaned toward her, smiling, the image of an indulging lover. "At your behest, when it became certain that a nobody with astounding weapons arsenal and projectile accuracy was about to be promoted, I sent one of my spies to research his origins. Though he claimed to be an orphan, his swords were much too finely made to be for anyone other than a noble. Starting from the town where this soldier had joined, my spy asked around about the local gentry, until my spy reached a hidden little village nested in the crook of a mountain. This village would be virtually unknown if not for the little-known fact that it is a certain military legend's hometown." Ino leaned really close to Kakashi now, heads almost touching, voice down to a soft whisper. "After asking around, my spy found out that this legendary warrior had retired years long ago after the death of his wife. He never left the village, hardly greeted any outsiders. But he did have one treasure…a daughter, who he raised as a son. Who disappeared, the same time Tian appeared."

Kakashi laughed, breaking their intimate contact. Ino sat back, the image of annoyance. "Sorry. It's highly gratifying to have my suspicions confirmed." Ino turned her head, not looking at him. A lover's spat.

"Anyway. That's not important, unless you think it will be a factor in her coming promotion." Ino looked faraway.

"Tian will do fine. I certainly trust her instincts, though it will be better if others don't find out," Kakashi murmured softly.

"You said so yourself that she was very good. I'm sure she'll be okay; Sakura has been safe all this time, too." Ino sighed. "Speaking of childhood friends...You brought a nice group of people along this time," Ino scowled. "What a strange time it is, when my childhood friends are not only thrust into these wargames but now expected to lead them!"

Kakashi pulled Ino's chin upwards towards him. A gesture to soothe a tantrum.

"You and Shikamaru are no longer children, and neither are your friends. It is high time that their talents are put to use." Kakashi's voice was serious, and hinted at his own childhood.

Ino sighed, pulling back.

"Of course they're ready. They've been ready." The two sat quietly, each in their own thoughts. Then Kakashi smiled, the joking twinkle back in his eyes.

"Our new officers aren't all your childhood friends. And even of them are, I hope you were still diligent in your research."

Then Ino pulled Kakashi up, giving him a small slap on the arm. "They're clear. You can trust me. Let's go. Shikamaru should be ready to see you now. The news, I'm afraid, isn't good..." The two left, hand on arm, retreating to Ino's bedchambers.

...

**AN: **I'm so sorry this has taken so long to come out! The next chapters will be quicker; Chapter 4 is mostly written, just needs another round of editing. 5 is half written, and 6 and 7 is in my head. Things are moving _much _slower than they have been in my head...


	5. Betrayal

To my surprise, shortly after my adventure at Lady Ino's, I was promoted along with a few other soldiers. Some were from famed families - Naruto, the loud, but genuinely cheerful youth with unparalled amounts of raw power; Kiba, the quick-footed boy hailed as the number one tracker; and Shino, a mysterious youth who spoke little but held an impeccable record of success in his missions. There were a few others that I recognized but never spoke to, sent elsewhere before I could learn their names. Neji, naturally, was promoted, too. However, despite being in the camps much longer than I, Lee remained a mere foot soldier. I felt pained that I had a higher rank than he, but he seemed to take it all in stride. We still served together under Gai, so little seemed to change, but now I had the authority to command small groups of soldiers when it was required of me and attended strategy meetings with the other officers.

Shikamaru, who now appeared frequently, would grumpily shamble into these strategy meetings with hardly a smile for anyone. Kiba and Naruto would tease him with the easiness of an old friendship until he begin to show signs of a smirk. After a while, Asuma would harrumph everyone into silence. Then the meetings would begin, officiated by a grim Kakashi, who listened carefully to everyone's reports. He took into consideration everyone's thoughts, even the newly promoted rookies like me.

…

I often met up with Neji and Lee after the meetings to chat about what we learned. While Lee wasn't technically supposed to hear all the information, we included him anyway in our discussions. Lee often had wisdom that neither of us knew, coming from a commoner background unlike the two of us. (While I claimed orphanage, it was clear that neither of them believed me, though they never brought it up.) Neji, however, with his ever watching eyes, always had extra observations that gave our tactical meetings more meaning than numbers and geography. It was he who pointed out that those who were promoted had recently gone to the Nara castle to meet Lady Ino. I could tell that Lee didn't understand the implication as strongly as I, but it didn't matter. Neji saw that I understood. I felt silly thinking it had just been based on looks.

A few days after Shikamaru joined us, Neji made another observation that left Lee and I incredulous. "He's hiding something from us," muttered Neji. Lee and I looked at each other, confused. "The Lord Nara does not leave his post for months on end without the emperor's leave. He's a key strategist in our country, after all. You can be sure that he was away on some mission, and the results of the mission were bad enough that he isn't allowed to talk about it. See how grim he appears all the time." Thinking about it, I could see how frustrated Shikamaru always looked during tactical meetings, and his short retorts when called for his inputs. But that could be easily attributed to war itself.

Despite my and Lee's objections, Neji remained convinced there was something big that Shikamaru was not telling. "I just hope the information he is hiding is not disadvantageous to us all," said Neji ominously. Lee and I laughed nervously.

"I'm sure that's not the case, oh Neji! He must be sad to leave his home for so long. I hear he is quite fond of his deer," Lee joked. I laughed. But Neji remained stony-faced.

...

After our meetings, long marches, and camp activities, I would also visit Haruno's tent. I did not tell Lee and Neji of her secret, of course, but they knew of my friendship with her. Often, Naruto would charge in to the tent, too, chatting happily until Haruno got annoyed with his endless noise and kicked him out. On the times when it was just Haruno and I, she told me of her past, how she and Ino spent their childhood together, and how she knew Naruto so well. I learned that despite coming from the famous Uzumaki family, Naruto was rejected by their village thanks to some unnamed tragedy, but slowly worked his way into peoples' hearts with his easy smile and happy demeanor. "Naruto has always liked me," explained Haruno wryly, "So the idiot followed me here, to the battlefield." We often talked of the Legendary Tsunade, our hero, a lady renowned for her medical knowledge and battle prowess. She told me of her difficulty in coming to the battlefield, and her reasons for being a man.

Her hands looked as though they were once dainty. They were soiled by dirt and blood now. I could tell through our conversations that she hid a major part of her life from me, but I understood. We both had our secrets.

…

The new promotions had come not a moment too soon. Only a week after, a harried messenger ran into our camp, white-faced from shock and exertion. He found Kakashi and Shikamaru, and barely managed to stay up when giving his report. "Sir!" he bowed at Kakashi and Shikamaru. Asuma and Gai immediately stood to join them. "It's as Lord Shikamaru suspected. We've confirmed that Orochimaru is with the enemy." Everyone within hearing distance of the report started. Neji and I exchanged looks.

Kakashi motioned at the poor messenger and gestured at the officers. We quickly followed them into a nearby tent. The messenger sat down, gratefully accepting a canteen of water from Gai.

"Six nights ago, Genma from the 8th located an enemy encampment by the Northern River. It was larger than previous ones that we've heard of. Unlike before, they appeared to be a mix of the northwest tribes and the northern horsemen. He stayed with them for two nights, trying to get an accurate count and learn their movements. However, on the second night, from the commander's camp he saw Orochimaru emerge. It appeared that he was giving instruction to both the northwest tribe leaders and the horsemen tribes. So Genma ran back to the emperor immediately to report this development." The messenger took another long swig of the canteen, then looked apologetically at Shikamaru. "The emperor has sent messengers to all the camps to alert them of this news. He also has a special message for Lord Shikamaru: He says 'I am sorry for not believing your report and I apologize for calling you a liar in the heat of the moment. You are no longer bound to secrecy. I beg you, on behalf of the country, to help us overcome this threat. China is all ears.'"

We all turned to look at Shikamaru, who scowled. "Looks like it took a report from his _personal_ spy to believe me. The old man is letting his old emotions interfere with his thinking way too much." We all waited for his response. He sighed. "Well of course I'll help, that's why I came to the battlefield, is it not?"

While Shikamaru and Kakashi didn't looked too shocked at this report, the rest of us were. This indeed was terrible news. Lord Orochimaru had been a foremost General in our previous war, along with the legendary Jiraiya. The two had both been apprentices of the current emperor. Unfortunately, Orochimaru was also found slipping state secrets to a (thankfully unthreatening) neighboring country. Normally the punishment for a spy was death, but the emperor could not bear to give the command against his former student. So in a moment of weakness, he let Orochimaru go, though banished from China. It was rumored that Orochimaru took refugee in the northwest mountains.

Previously, there were small encounters with the northern horsemen who tried to push against our cities. So far we had been able to defend against their attacks, thanks to the strongholds at the borders. Now, the enemy was someone who intimately knew us. Few doubted that Orochimaru would happily give away our carefully hidden weaknesses.

"Well, don't look so grim, everyone," drawled Kakashi in a calm voice. "We haven't been training you for nothing." With a nod to Shikamaru, Kakashi continued. "Our new officers should be ready enough to handle this threat, right?"

With that statement, the rookie officers shifted. The playfulness usually found in Naruto and Kiba were gone. Both were grinning hard, angry smiles. Shino and Neji had equally cold and haughty stares. "We are ready," said Neji. "No need to doubt us." Asuma, Gai, and even Kakashi smiled in approval.

"Good. We'll count on it. Now shut up and listen to what Shikamaru tells you to do."

…

Neji was struggling to hide a smile when Lee praised him. "I cannot believe it! How did you know? How did you see! That's amazing! Neji! You're amazing!" We laughed at his exaggerated movements, a rare act of merriment despite the grim mood.

The conversation, however, soon turned serious. Lee and I tossed around a few strategies while Neji listened. Lee's were usually quite haphazard, with huge charges at the enemy with lots of YOUTH and ENERGY. Neji would shake his head, and said no. Just no.

My ideas were far more direct - we needed to find Orochimaru, and kill this head of the snake. Neji also shook his head.

"We don't have enough information. Information is key to this war." Neji again looked grim. "Frankly, I'm surprised we have so little of it. Right now, we are nearly blind. Lord Nara's spy network is famed for its extensiveness and reliability. Usually he would have much more information at his disposal." Lee and I digested this remark.

"Perhaps someone has broken it," I whispered. Neji nodded in assent. This time, there was no exuberant denial from Lee, for it seems he had come to the same conclusion.

…

We pitched a semi-permanent camp next to a middling village for a couple of days while Shikamaru dove into maps and awaited further reports. Kakashi, Asuma, and some other men I didn't recognize joined him in this planning. This left the newly promoted officers in charge of overseeing the regular foot soldiers, while Gai oversaw us. His enthusiastic training sessions left us all breathless and too exhausted to dwell on the shadow of Orochimaru's betrayal.

One night, as we were settling by the campfire before retiring to bed, a letter came for Shikamaru from a couple of giggling girls from the village. "Lord Shikamaru, it's been so long!" They fawned over him until he was red with embarrassment, while the entire camp looked on with undisguised interest. Despite being banned from doing so, some soldiers had snuck into the nearby village at night. Those same men now murmured whispered recognition of these girls from a main pleasurehouse in town. As the girls left, they waved flirtatiously to the men in the camp with winks and feigned sighs. Teasing immediately ensued from Kiba and Naruto, until Shikamaru angrily waved them off to read his letter.

"Ah. It's from Ino." Shikamaru announced this with disgust. "Of course she would chose the most embarrassing way to deliver this to me." Shikamaru held the letter glumly in his hands, as if fearing its contents. He sighed, and tore it open. Most people had returned to their own activities by then, but I was still watching him as he scanned the contents. Beside me, I could also see Neji's watchful eyes on the tactical genius. Upon finishing the letter, Shikamaru turned a deathly white. He sat, brooding for a while, then in a fit of seeming anger, threw the letter into the fire.

"Marital issues?" drawled Kakashi, who was watching Shikamaru with interest. Neji and I leaned forward to pay close attention to this conversation.

Shikamaru snapped out of his stupor, and turned to Kakashi. "Ino has informed me that she has spent the last few days renovating our castle and as a _good wife_ is reporting all the expenses. Northwest wing: 250 each for our 10 rooms. Eastern wing, riverside: 6,220 total. Western "Desert" wing, 100 in 20 installments. Main wing, 18,100, though a few _thousand _might be diverted for another task. Nice and precise numbers, the last one." Shikamaru's voice was dripping with sarcasm throughout his recital. I was amazed, though not shocked, that he had already committed the contents of the letter to memory.

"She also complains that no one is around to help because quite a few servants decided to take an unannounced vacation, and begs for me to hire more. The blasted woman! Please excuse me," he muttered as he stalked back into his tent with his maps. Kakashi and Asuma looked thoughtful at this news, then also followed Shikamaru into the tent. I threw Neji a puzzled look. He shrugged in response. The campfire soon quieted afterwards.

…

Early next morning, before the camp rose, Kakashi gathered the officers. He and Shikamaru had a grimmer look on their faces than ever before. Even the usually jolly Asuma was unsmiling.

"I've received word on enemy numbers," Shikamaru announced. "Around 2,500 from the northwest tribes are moving in, traveling in ten packs. Around 6,220 were also spotted by the eastern edge of the river. They have joined approximately 2,000 desert riders. Furthermore, a main group of 18,100 men have cleared the border, traveling to or have already occupied our most northern forts."

We all stared at him, dumbfounded. I also realized that the numbers were the same as the figures from Ino's supposed renovation. Neji's eyes met mine, and I knew we had both came to the same conclusion.

"It's clear that with Orochimaru leading them, they are becoming bolder, and are aiming for our strongholds. Here are the places they have captured according to the latest report, and as you can see, they are moving _much _faster than we previously thought."

"What an understatement!" exclaimed Kiba. We were all staring in horror at the latest marks Shikamaru had made on the map. The previous day, the dots of our enemy were leagues away. Today, they were less than two weeks' march from us. Shikamaru sighed tiredly.

"I apologize for the tardiness of this information." We started at these strange words from Shikamaru. He had the blackest expression yet. "Along with these numbers, it has come to my attention to several of my most trusted spies have disappeared. Definitely the work of our enemy." Shikamaru sighed again. "For me, this information is more devastating than knowing the pure numbers. War is won with information, not just brute power. Even worse, this information is likely a day or two old, since the method that it came by to me was distinctly irregular."

We all stood quietly, digesting this new information. Everyone looked beyond shocked by the new information. I quickly totaled the numbers in my head, and came to the sickening conclusion that while our main force may outnumber them, our troops were far too scattered if they attacked with their combined forces. I thought about our divisions in the north, and wondered if they could hold up against the coming turmoil. I glanced at Neji again. He was deep in thought, his frown a fraction lower than normal. Seeing the storm in his eyes somehow frightened me more than the numbers Shikamaru had reported.

A loud voice broke the silence. "Well, what are we waiting for? It seems like we need to move quickly!" cried Naruto. "You have a plan, right?"

The tension defused. Shikamaru grinned. "Of course. Who do you take me for?"

…

Unfortunately, Shikamaru's plan was not to be. It seemed that even for a tactical genius like him, we had underestimated the enemy greatly. As we were making preparations, a second harried messenger stumbled into our camp. He found Shikamaru and Kakashi, and dropped into a low bow.

"My lord!" he cried, panic in his voice. "Shimura Castle has fallen!" Our attentions snapped at the words. Shimura Castle and its surrounding village was the biggest fort in the northeast. They had fought back against the brunt of the skirmishes, but the main enemy body we heard from the detail should have been at least a week away. "Kurama was leading the 5th and 6th. They managed to get the villagers to safety, but the general...he died bravely, as any general of our country would be proud to die." Here he paused, as we took in news. Shikamaru tried to get the messenger to stand, but he refused, shaking his head frantically.

"And I'll swear on this - I swear my life on this, my lord! You know my eyes, and how I do not fail to recognize anyone!" He clutched at Shikamaru's sleeves in emphasis. "I swear what I saw - I saw that the attack was lead by none other but Lord Sasuke!"

I didn't recognize the name, but it was clear that others did. Shino and Shikamaru's faces darkened; Kiba growled softly. Naruto's reaction was not as subdued. He jumped up and yelled loudly in disbelief. "SASUKE? ARE YOU INSANE? ARE YOU SAYING HE JOINED WITH OROCHIMARU?"

"Naruto! I trust my men, as should you," Shikamaru spoke angrily. Naruto quieted at his reprimand, but resentment remained on his face. Shikamaru stood, drawing his messenger with him. "You have done well. Go rest."

…

I found Kiba with Shino, talking softly amongst themselves. It always surprised me to see the expressionless Shino talk so fluidly with the loud Kiba. When I approached, they stopped their conversation and turned towards me with nods of acknowledgement.

"Who is Sasuke?" I asked Kiba. He grimaced.

"He was a boy our year, from the Uchiha family. You heard of them, yes?"

"Only as a family of great renown. They were slaughtered."

"That's right. The great Uchihas, killed off by one of their own child geniuses, who killed himself afterwards. The only survivor was Sasuke, spared for some odd reason." Kiba paused slightly, as if unsure how to continue the story. "I met him a few times. The one who knows him best, of course, is Naruto. Both orphans, basically lived with each other. They were rivals and best friends in a weird sense. He was fiercely intelligent, a mean fighters, and almost as quiet as my man Shino here." Kiba gave Shino a toothy grin. Shino naturally didn't respond, but Kiba laughed anyway.

"Never liked him really back then; he seemed _too_ moody, a little ruthless, and uncaring. I don't know how Naruto got along with him, especially since every time he talked it seemed like he was trying to put Naruto down!" Kiba shook his head. "He also had nearly as many admirers as you can imagine someone oh-so-handsome and wealthy could be. Kind of like Lord Neji there." Kiba grinned at me. I felt myself turn slightly towards Neji's direction, and Kiba laughed again.

"So one day. Sasuke just ups and leaves the village without a word to anyone; next day Naruto is freaking out and asking everyone if they'd seen him. No news." Kiba shrugged for effect. "As far as I know, that's the whole reason Naruto came to the army in the first place. Free travel around to search for the guy." With that, Kiba ended the story, leaving me more questions than answers.

…

Neji and I chatted with Lee after the camp had returned to semi-normalcy. He confirmed what Kiba told me about Sasuke. The Hyuugas and the Uchihas had a connection of sorts until the tragedy, it seemed. It was the first time that Neji spoke of his family. I wanted to know more about this childhood he kept from us, but he continued on about Sasuke in a low murmur. "I also heard that the reason the Uchiha boy left was because of a nasty rumor. It became known years after the fact that the emperor himself either ordered or endorsed the slaughter of the Uchihas. The youngster who killed his family was only acting on orders. Sasuke was spared because he was the killer's younger brother." Lee and I looked at each other in horror.

"This is much worse than you can imagine," continued Neji. "Orochimaru hasn't been in China for a while. But Sasuke knows fresh and intimate details about us all. I know for certain that he's been on the Hyuuga complex many times, and there's little doubt he's visited homes of other nobles, too." Neji paused, lapsing into a pained silence. Lee and I exchanged glances, but there was little to be said.

"Hyuuga Manor is not far from Shimura Castle," murmured Neji softly, painfully. "Lord Nara would be a fool not to see that. Nevetheless, I am going to see him, just in case."

With that, Neji left us. I watched his uncharacteristically slow, pondering steps as he walked away, wishing with all my heart that I could be given a chance to help him.

...

I visited Haruno after. Naruto had just left, muttering apologies to me as he almost trampled into me. Haruno looked like she was about to cry. Her voice when speaking to me, though, was quite even.

"I assume you heard the story about Sasuke?" she asked. I nodded. Haruno sighed. "Well, I'm the other part. I apologize for keeping this from you. Just not something I wanted to talk about, ever." I nodded again, hoping it seemed sympathetic. Haruno smiled sadly. "I loved Sasuke, and couldn't stand the idea of waiting for news from Naruto while he was galvanizing around China searching for Sasuke. So I decided to join the military, too." Haruno lowered her head sadly. "And now it seems we've found him, in a place that cannot be reached."

I put a comforting hand on Haruno's hand. "Take heart. It might not have been him. You don't know for sure." Haruno shook her head.

"Just as I idolized Tsunade and Naruto admired Jiraiya, Sasuke was always interested in Orochimaru when we were children. It would not surprise me at all if he went to find him." Haruno paused. "What I tell you is confidential but it's important to understand. Sasuke left because a rumor reached him saying that the emperor had ordered the slaughter of his family. How could he stay after hearing such a thing? So it makes perfect sense for him to seek the destruction of the man who destroyed him." Haruno put her face in her hands. "And it seems he has left no happy feelings for us."

I stood silent in the tent for a while, then left quietly, leaving Haruno to her thoughts. What could I say? The love of her life was now a dangerous traitor. If confirmed as the dangerous criminal, he would be second, maybe even the number one enemy.


End file.
